Belgian aristocrat ordered to stand trial over Patrice Lumumba assassination
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NPA) — March 18, 2026 — Étienne Davignon, a 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat and aristocrat, has been ordered by a Brussels court to face trial over the assassination of Congo’s first prime minister and anti-colonial icon, Patrice Lumumba, in 1961.
Lumumba, who became prime minister upon Congo’s independence from Belgium on June 24, 1960, was ousted in September of the same year amid political turmoil. Just months later, on January 16, 1961, he was brutally killed by a Belgian-backed secessionist rebel group in Katanga, an event that has long symbolised the violent legacy of colonial interference in Africa.
Davignon is the only surviving member of a group of 10 Belgian officials accused of complicity in Lumumba’s murder by the late leader’s family. His trial is expected to reignite debate over Belgium’s colonial past and its responsibility in the destabilisation of Congo during its early years of independence.
South African security authorities warn protesters over xenophobic violence
Amnesty International slams court ruling against SERAP, urges immediate quash
Nigerian Army eliminate terrorists in Zamfara, recover weapons
SERAP rejects court judgment ordering N100m damages over defamation suit, heads to appeal
Nigeria, Ghana deepen anti-drug partnership to combat trafficking cartels
Sowore condemns alleged assault on TheCable journalist Olalekan Fakoyejo by soldiers in Lagos
US man of Nigerian descent Victor Kolawole, accomplice plead guilty in multi-million-dollar U.S. bank fraud scheme
Amnesty International demands disclosure of missing Malian opposition figure Mountaga Tall
- Tinubu commissions NRS Headquarters, says new tax reforms will drive prosperity
- Climate change anxiety is rising — and so is the willingness to act on it
- Golden Globes want to make a comeback this year. Hollywood isn’t buying
- Baseball boosts TBS, NFL gives ESPN a kick and streamers love ‘Squid’
- Net zero pledges offer hope of avoiding catastrophe, says UN report
Community Discussion